Poverty brings with it a heavy psychological burden, according to a growing body of research. Socioeconomic scarcity has been linked to such negative emotions as depression and anxiety. We all have limited attention, which restricts how much we can focus on at any one time. Low-income people are forced to focus on daily stressors such as a lack of money or even food, which can undermine their cognitive functioning and ability to make helpful decisions. And, as a new study by Cornell University psychologist Gary Evans, PhD, finds, adults who grew up in impoverished families exhibit more chronic physiological stress, more deficits in short-term spatial memory, more feelings of helplessness and more antisocial conduct—such as aggression and bullying—than those of middle-income families (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016).
"What this means is, if you're born poor, you're on a trajectory to have more of these kinds of psychological problems," says Evans, a professor of environmental and developmental psychology at Cornell.
APA has long recognized the role that poverty plays in all aspects of health. Now, in light of the agendas put forth by President Donald J. Trump and the 115th Congress, the psychology organization is redoubling its advocacy for key policies that affect low-income Americans. The most recent efforts include:
Protecting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A significant threat to economically disadvantaged Americans is the possibility of a repeal of the ACA, which has given health-care coverage to over 15 million previously uninsured Americans. A new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that if Congress repealed the act, 18 million Americans would lose their insurance in the first year, and individual insurance premiums could double in 10 years. On Jan. 6, APA and the Practice Organization urged their Federal Action Network and Federal Advocacy Coordinators, respectively, to tell Congress not to repeal the ACA without simultaneously replacing the law with legislation that fully protects access to care and coverage of mental health and other essential benefits. So far, psychologists have sent more than 7,000 messages to Congress.
APA and the Practice Organization also sent a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expressing that many ACA provisions have improved Americans' access to health care and mental health treatment and noting that any future legislation should continue to include such key provisions as coverage of people with pre-existing conditions.
In addition, as members of the Mental Health Liaison Group—a coalition of over 60 national organizations—APA and the Practice Organization sent a letter to U.S. House and Senate leaders, asking them to safeguard mental health parity, the ACA and the recently enacted 21st Century Cures Act, which includes mental health reform legislation.
Fighting for child nutrition. APA has worked to oppose legislation that would eliminate free school meals for economically disadvantaged children. Specifically, the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016 would have eliminated 7,000 of the 18,000 low-income schools currently able to provide free breakfast and lunch to all their students through the Community Eligibility Provision. The bill would also have weakened evidenced-based school nutrition standards for meals, snacks and beverages. If the legislation had been enacted, many low-income children would no longer have had access to the nutritious meals they need for health and learning. Thanks in part to advocacy by APA and its coalition partners, the bill died in the 114th Congress.
Supporting paid family medical leave. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not guarantee paid family leave, and only 13 percent of U.S. workers have access to paid family leave through their employers. This leaves many Americans with the painful choice of either taking care of their newborn or paying their bills. In an effort to better support all American families, APA strongly supports the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, recently re-introduced in the 115th Congress. It would create a national paid family and medical leave insurance program that would enable employees to earn paid leave for pregnancy, childbirth, serious health issues, or caring for a family member.
Raising the minimum wage. The current federal minimum wage of $7.50 an hour is not enough to lift a full-time worker with a child above the poverty line. Research shows that even a modest income increase for poor families leads to better long-term outcomes for their children, including more education, less criminality, less substance abuse, and fewer emotional and behavioral disorders. That's why APA has supported the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $8 an hour with an annual increase of $1 until it reaches $12.
Speaking out against discrimination of unemployed people. Americans who have been out of work—especially those who have been unemployed for six months or longer—may face discrimination arising from the belief that poverty and unemployment are personal moral failings, rather than a result of structural factors. APA has confronted that stigma by supporting the Fair Employment Opportunity Act (later incorporated into the Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Act), which would prevent employers from discriminating against job seekers because of unemployment.
To participate in APA's public policy advocacy efforts, join the Psychology Advocacy Network at https://www.apaservices.org/advocacy/get-involvedopens in new window.
